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AFAIK, the first US review of Bricasti's CD & SACD Transport-Only

Posted by John Marks on August 6, 2024 at 13:24:33

I expect many people might think that a CD and SACD Disc Transport (based on a proprietary implementation of the I2S protocol) is the answer to a question nobody is asking. However, Brian Zolner of Bricasti assures me that they have many customers who have been waiting for years for this.

The catch there is that, to use Bricasti's I2S implementation, you need to have a Bricasti DAC with the optional I2S printed circuit board (or, if you prefer, card) installed.

On Bricasti's larger-chassis products such as the M1 Series II and the M21, there are two available card slots.

However, on Bricasti's smaller-chassis products such as the M3 and the original M1, there is only one such slot. So, your choices in the case of a smaller-chassis unit are, optional network card, I2S card, or no card.

To perhaps over-clarify, the I2S card is not just for SACD data streams, it is for regular CDs too.

Of course, Bricasti's transport has AES and SPDIF connections as well (but no TOSLINK).

Future Audiophile's reviewer notes that the I2S connection had "more texture, finer detail, and a larger soundstage." Which I find to be very plausible.

SPDIF's "Achilles Heel" was that, in order for the Sony/Philips system to hitch a free ride on the installed base of Sony color-TV broadcast hardware such as 3/4-inch video-cassette recorders, there is no separate time code.

The CD's Word Clock has to be reconstructed by reference to the Zero-Axis Crossing Points of the analog output from the photocell detector.

In case you did not know, the advantage that the Sony-Phillips had over competitors such as Stockham Soundstream was that S/PDIF encoded the digital-audio data as Black-and-White Television "Snow," using equipment many broadcasters already owned. Clever, but that process came with an unacknowledged Achilles' Heel.

So, using I2S to get a separate clock into the picture should result in... incremental improvements that some casual listeners might not think to be worth 10,000 little pieces of pale-green paper with engraved pictures of George Washington on them.

Whereas, the reviewer is "saving up" to make the purchase.

An interesting article, even if one is not in the market.

Recommended.

john

• https://futureaudiophile.com/bricasti-m19-sacd-and-compact-d   (Open in New Window)

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